What could this be?

[BarrettG]

I just bought 3 new chickens that are a year old. One has this big spot of missing feathers around its vent and the skin looks irritated. I sprayed the Vitrycin stuff on it just now but my main concern is that maybe its a disease that can spread to my other chickens? I isolated the 3 birds for 3 days and they all look fine except that one part on the chickens vent. See the picture. Can it be like that from being pecked? Is it a mite or bug? Please help me solve this and figure it out.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Eek! Can you possibly zoom in on the photo? That'll help

@casportpony
@Texas Kiki
@ChickenCanoe

 

[Kiki]

Is the area swollen too? Can't tell in this photo, sorry.

 

[dawg53]

You need to closely inspect the vent area for lice/mites. Lice are white/off white or straw in color. They move quickly through fluff and feathers. You might see lice eggs attached to feather shafts and are usually white in color. Mites are tiny, look like black or red pepper. They move slowly or dont move at all and they feed on blood.

If there is feather picking, you should be able to observe other birds picking and pecking. Additionally there would be feathers on the ground. If there are no feathers on the ground, that means other birds are eating the feathers which would suggest a protein deficiency in their diet.

Since I see redness on the rear end and towards the bottom of the hens abdomen, I suspect it is caused by urates in the feces causing the redness. The urates scald the skin and cause irritation.
Trim down fluff and feathers on her rear end, but not too much. This will give your hen a "clear shot" to the ground when she poops, rather than running down her back side.
Apply Nu-Stock to the red areas and it will heal in no time. It will also stop feather picking if that's also the case. Wear disposable gloves when applying the Nu-Stock and shake the tube well before applying it.

 

[BarrettG]

Eek! Can you possibly zoom in on the photo? That'll help

@casportpony
@Texas Kiki
@ChickenCanoe

I removed the picture and added a zoomed in picture. Please take a look.

 

[BarrettG]

You need to closely inspect the vent area for lice/mites. Lice are white/off white or straw in color. They move quickly through fluff and feathers. You might see lice eggs attached to feather shafts and are usually white in color. Mites are tiny, look like black or red pepper. They move slowly or dont move at all and they feed on blood.

If there is feather picking, you should be able to observe other birds picking and pecking. Additionally there would be feathers on the ground. If there are no feathers on the ground, that means other birds are eating the feathers which would suggest a protein deficiency in their diet.

Since I see redness on the rear end and towards the bottom of the hens abdomen, I suspect it is caused by urates in the feces causing the redness. The urates scald the skin and cause irritation.
Trim down fluff and feathers on her rear end, but not too much. This will give your hen a "clear shot" to the ground when she poops, rather than running down her back side.
Apply Nu-Stock to the red areas and it will heal in no time. It will also stop feather picking if that's also the case. Wear disposable gloves when applying the Nu-Stock and shake the tube well before applying it.
View attachment 1715411

Thank you. I'm going to check if the local supply house has it. If not I will order it online. I zoomed in the picture and attached it so everyone can see the effected area closer. Please take another look and confirm.

I only have had the chicken for 3 days and it was like this when I took it home. Im not able to tell if there are feathers on the ground from the pecking.